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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

epocrates vs Davis's Drug Guide

epocrates 4.4★ · Free to download 60
Winner Davis's Drug Guide
Davis's Drug Guide 4.9★ · Free + IAP 85

Davis's Drug Guide is the better choice for students and nurses needing a reliable, offline drug reference, while Epocrates is struggling with recent changes to its free tier and app functionality.

Full reviews: epocrates · Davis's Drug Guide

Davis's Drug Guide is highly praised by nursing students and professionals for its comprehensive, offline drug information and ease of use. Epocrates, a long-standing resource, is facing significant backlash due to its recent shift from a free model to a limited free tier and paid subscription, alongside reports of app functionality issues.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: Davis's Drug GuideR3R8R11R16
epocrates Epocrates has historically been a trusted resource for drug information, including dosing, interaction checking, and pill identification R3R11. Users appreciate its quick answers and ease of use for confirming dosages and discussing side effects . However, recent updates have removed features like drug pricing and package sizing, which were valuable to many users . Some users also find the app cluttered with unwanted 'Medical News' and ads, even in the paid version R8R16.
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide is lauded for its comprehensive and concise drug information, making it a must-have clinical guide . It includes helpful features like pronunciation guides, calculators, and the ability to make notes . Nurses particularly value its details on reconstituting and diluting medications, as well as IV compatibility . The app is also praised for being accessible offline . However, some users report that it is not comprehensive enough for newer medications and occasionally misses common drugs .
Ease of Use and Reliability edge: Davis's Drug GuideR5R18R24R30
epocrates Many long-term users have found Epocrates easy to use and a quick reference tool . However, recent reviews highlight significant issues, including the app not opening or crashing after iOS updates R5R18R24R30. Some users also report freezing issues and difficulty dismissing ads . The app's frequent updates and inability to use it during updates are also points of frustration .
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide is consistently described as easy to use, fast, and navigable . Its offline functionality is a major advantage for reliability in clinical settings . However, some users report glitches, such as the app getting stuck on loading screens or failing to pull up drug information after payment . There are also complaints about the app being difficult to navigate and poorly organized by some users .
Price and Value tieR1R2R3R4
epocrates Epocrates has historically been free for basic drug information, and many users are extremely disappointed by its recent shift to a limited free tier and a paid subscription model R1R3R4. Users feel betrayed by the change and consider the subscription overpriced, especially when free alternatives are available R16. Some students have received free year-long subscriptions, which they find highly beneficial R2.
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide is a paid app, with a yearly subscription costing around $40 R82R110R116. Many users, particularly nursing students and new RNs, find the subscription to be a worthwhile investment for its comprehensive and convenient information R87R97R99R101. However, some users consider it too expensive, especially when free information can be found online R82. There are also complaints about deceptive free trials that require payment to function, and issues with transferring purchases to new devices or across platforms .
Customer Support and Business Practices tieR22R28R34R40
epocrates Users express frustration with Epocrates' lack of communication regarding the shift to a paid model, feeling that a promise of free access was broken R22. There are also reports of poor customer support, with issues like inability to transfer paid subscriptions to new phones or being shut down outside the US without reimbursement R40. Some users also complain about aggressive advertising and data collection practices R28R34.
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide faces criticism for its business practices, including issues with subscription cancellation, automatic renewals without consent, and deceptive free trials . Users also report poor support for issues like app non-functionality after payment or inability to transfer purchases . There are complaints about being locked into subscriptions and having to repurchase the app for different devices or platforms .
Pick epocrates if

You are a student who might qualify for a free year of Epocrates+ R2 or if you prioritize a quick, streamlined drug reference over comprehensive details, provided you are willing to pay for the full subscription and accept potential app stability issues.

Pick Davis's Drug Guide if

You are a nursing student or a practicing nurse who needs a comprehensive, reliable, and offline drug guide with specific details on medication preparation and IV compatibility R87R97.

Evidence note: The recent negative reviews for Epocrates are heavily skewed by user frustration over the change from a free to a paid model, which impacts its lifetime rating. Davis's Drug Guide, while having a higher lifetime rating, also has a significant number of negative reviews related to its pricing, subscription model, and app functionality issues after payment.

Frequently asked

Is Epocrates still free?
Epocrates is no longer truly free; it now offers a limited number of free lookups per week, after which users are prompted to purchase a subscription R1R4R9R12.
How much does Davis's Drug Guide app cost?
Davis's Drug Guide app costs around $40 per year for a subscription R82R110R116.
Does Epocrates work offline?
The reviews do not explicitly state whether Epocrates works offline, but some users mention needing updates which implies an online connection is sometimes required R18R24R30R37.
Is Davis's Drug Guide good for nursing students?
Yes, Davis's Drug Guide is highly recommended by nursing students for its comprehensive information, ease of use, and convenience for clinicals and homework R87R97R99R101.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] epocrates 3/5 · US Was great: This has been a trusted resource for years, including dosing and interaction checking. The decision to hide it behind a paywall was unfortunate. Will use a different resource going forward.
  2. [R8] epocrates 4/5 · US Medical News For You: Medical News For You articles keep expanding in numbers. There appears to be no way of deleting them. Most of the articles are of no use to me. Also, I do not need adds in my paid version. Otherwise, over the past 20+ years, Epocrates has been a stragic tool in the practice of family medicine.
  3. [R11] epocrates 5/5 · US Great app: Use everyday. The pill ID is excellent.
  4. [R16] epocrates 1/5 · US Used to be good, but now requires paid subscription: I’ve had an Epocrates account since 2007. This used to be the best app for basic drug reference. However, they have slowly added “Medical News” and CME and pop ups, and the app has become cluttered and difficult to navigate. And now, if you try doing more than about 5 queries in a week, it requires you to sign up for a horribly over priced subsc
  5. [R5] epocrates 4/5 · US Love: Most used app still to date! A lot of the newer staff haven’t heard of epocrates, and that is just mind blowing for me. I would much rather use than up-to-date. Up-to-date is a great reference, but it’s too busy for me. However, epocrates is no longer supported with the new iPhone Update 26.2.1, please update your version :/
  6. [R18] epocrates 3/5 · US Update: Ever since my iPhone updated to IOS 26.3.1 the app will not open and I already checked to see if the app needs to be updated. It does not. It opens and then crashes/closes right away
  7. [R24] epocrates 3/5 · US This app was great: The app no longer opens for me. Fix this.
  8. [R30] epocrates 3/5 · US Not updatable?: It won’t update. Was a very nice app when it worked.
  9. [R1] epocrates 1/5 · US Not Free Anymore: Used Epocrates for years and always thought it was a great resource. Perfect while I was in pharmacy school and now as a pharmacist. I am extremely disappointed, but frankly not surprised, they now have it behind a paywall. I only looked up a few medications (maybe like 4) and get the pop up that I “reached my free amount of look ups for the week.” For the week? It’s literally th
  10. [R2] epocrates 5/5 · US Amazing resource: I am currently a student and need to use this resource for majority of my classes. As I’m sure everyone is aware going to school is extremely expensive and Epocrates blessed me with a whole year of Epocrates+ for free. I cannot express how grateful I am and how beneficial this resource is!! If you’re on the edge just try it out; it might be able to change not only your life but e
  11. [R4] epocrates 1/5 · US Are You Kidding Me!?: I have used epocrates for years, so imagine my surprise when I go to calculate a dose for a pediatric patient and get a notification I have exceeded my free views! What the actual heck are you guys thinking!?
  12. [R22] epocrates 1/5 · US Promise not kept: 20 years ago was promised free access to app; now limited with new restricted queries and support not interested in keeping promise
  13. [R28] epocrates 1/5 · US No longer truly free: Greed has finally found its place in the epocrates app. They have been mining my data for over 25 years now. I have clicked thousands of times to clear ads. All of that revenue is not enough anymore. Now they limit how many times I can look at drug interactions unless I pay an exorbitant monthly fee. There are other options now, and I will be telling everyone to consider thos
  14. [R34] epocrates 2/5 · US What’s going on with epocrates ???: Used to be very good . Now you’re stealing data and planting cookies!!!! Are you trying to steal our banking info ? Or the phone numbers of our kids ? Now your forcing us to move up to the latest iOS releases. More data collection? I thought that your app was the best medicine app I have turned many of my fellow medical professionals onto your app . I have even
  15. [R40] epocrates 1/5 · US Scam: If you live outside de US even if you pay with an account created and paid thru the US the App has been shut down for your use. Epocrates do not reimburse you. Be careful. I had been customer for years and now they wash their hands.
  16. [R9] epocrates 3/5 · US $$$$: I’ve been using this since residency - great app when it first came out then got on palm pilot - saved a few lives with it The free features were the drug parts which I use to look up side effects - doses and cr cl adjustments Recently starting charging even for that with a few free views a week - so switching to something else Don’t really need all the other features. It’s still a sol
  17. [R12] epocrates 3/5 · US Not working like it used to: This has been a wonderful app. However, I have the free version, and all of a sudden, it is limiting the amount of views I get in a week. I have used the same free version for 5 years with no issues and now I’m incredibly frustrated that I can’t access the content like I used to.
  18. [R82] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Too expensive: Why do I need to subscribe yearly??
  19. [R110] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US $40 APP!: Did not specify that you have to purchase this app for $40 until you open it. Please list it as a $40 app because that’s what it is.
  20. [R116] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Deceitful: Offered for free to download only to be forced to pay $40 A YEAR! While other legitimate apps provide the same information for FREE! I do not like being scammed out of my money
  21. [R37] epocrates 1/5 · US Doesn’t Work: I have been able to open app at all with the two previous updates. It says “Please do not leave this screen. This may take moment.” However, it never loads. I’ve tried deleting the app and reinstalling. Turning on and off my phone. I have most recent os. Super disappointing. I’ve been using this app for 12+ years. It used to be awesome but now it’s awful. You’d think they’d care abou
  22. [R87] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Get it! You’ll be glad you did!: I love it! I’m a nursing student and I love being able to access my drug guide on my phone or tablet. It makes learning so much easier and I don’t have to worry about dragging a heavy book to clinical or labs. It’s great!
  23. [R97] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Great for nursing school!: I’ve used this while in nursing school and I absolutely love it. So handy to have and look up meds.
  24. [R99] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Love this!: I absolutely love this app! I’m in nursing school and having all the meds and updated meds right on my phone is super helpful. I have used this for class and in clinical. It gives so much information! I’m keeping this even when I become a nurse because it’s a great resource!
  25. [R101] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Great for nursing students!: This app is great for nursing students! It’s a must have even if it’s not recommended by your nursing program. I have found it extremely beneficial to have right in my pocket at clinical, completing homework, and hopefully one day accepting a RN position as a new grad. All adverse reactions that are life threatening are in red and capitalized, all adverse reactions tha

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store